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1870 book by Henry Callaway

The Religious System of the Amazulu (1870), by Henry Callaway, describes the beliefs of the Amazulu people. It was written in both English and Zulu. Henry Callaway was an English missionary. His interest in the Zulu people began when he settled on the banks of the Nsunguze river where he created various books influenced by them. One of those books was The Religious Systems of The Amazulu. The book is presented in question and answer format. It is divided into four different sections which include, Unkulunkulu, Amatonga, Izinyanga Zokubula, and Abatakati. Each of these sections focuses on the four main aspects which constitute the religious system of the Zulu people. In Crowds and Power, Elias Canetti wrote of The Religious System of the Amazulu, "It is among the essential documents of mankind."

Henry Callaway was the first missionary bishop of St. John’s Kafraria in South Africa. He was born on January 17, 1817, at Lymington Somerset. After giving birth to Callaway, his family moved to London and then Crediton where he officially got educated in Crediton Grammar School. Callaway then went to become an assistant teacher in a small school in Heavitree. During his time at Heavitree, he was introduced to the idea of Quakerism by the headmaster of the school, William Dymond. He was prone to the idea of Quakerism and by the Spring of 1837, Henry Callaway was admitted to be the member of the Society of Friends, which is an official group for Quakers. He was admitted through a Quaker family that he privately tutored in  Wellington. After his years in teaching, he decided to move into the medical field.

After pursuing his career in the medical field, he found flaws in Quakerism which made him join the Angelican church. In 1854, he wrote to the bishop of Natal, John William Colenso, offering his service for missionary work. Callaway was then accepted on August 13 by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and ordained deacon at Norwich. He and his wife then left England on the 26th of August to South Africa where Callaway started his missionary work. After 4 years of doing his service, Callaway was granted land beyond the Umkomanzi river, he then settled at an empty Dutch farm on the Insunguze, which he named Spring Vale. From there, Callaway starts learning about the native’s beliefs, traditions, and customs. The Unkulunkulu focuses on the Unkulunkulu itself and the creation story from the perspective of the Zulu people. The Amathonga talks about the tradition of ancestral worship. The Izinyanga section focuses on traditional diviners. Lastly, the Zokubula is about Zulu’s medical magic and witchcraft remedy. Unkulunkulu is also known as the parents of all Zulu people. They believe that he was the one who taught them how to hunt, make fire, and grow food. Not only the Unkulunkulu, but the first men are also given other names which are Umvelinqangi and Uthlanga. These 3 words expressed different aspects of Unkulunkulu in Zulu's belief. The Amazulu people also believe in the existence of the Amatongo, who are the spirits of ancestors given by Unkulunkulu to guide the people. There are special medicines for the chief which grant the chiefs strength and presence. Common men are not allowed to use or even touch this kind of medicine or they would be killed. This chapter also tells about the Chief’s power, where the people would resist drinking out of the cup of a chief. The witchcraft part of this chapter is written in “The Magic of Ufaku” which tells the dialogue that Callaway had with Ufaku who is the great chief of Amampondo. Chidester stated that Callaway called the book, The Religious System of the Amazulu, as “subjective apparition or brain sensation of African dream life”. In the context of comradeship, this book has drawn together the forces imposed by local officials, the ethnographic research for Christian missionaries, the indigenous Africans and especially for the community of Zulu converts. His book became popular for providing the basis of religious beliefs for anthropologists E. B. Taylor. The book also quoted some of the impacts Callaway made through his literature. He made the impact of pulling the interest of missionaries, philologists, ethnologists, antiquarians and the general populace. He stated that The Religious System of the Amazulu has become one of the stepping stones to “teach the English Zulu or the Zulu English”. Nadine Gordimer cited extracts of the book at the beginning of the chapters of her novel The Conservationist.